Improvement in windmills



n FFICE.

` THOMAS S. VAN DEVORT, OF YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN WINDNIILLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,488, dated July 25,1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, THOMAS S. VAN DEvoRT, of Ypsilanti, in the coinity ofVashtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Windmills; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereonwhich form a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a windmill, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in wl1ich-Figure l is a side view of my entire windmill. Fig. Z is a front view ofthe wheel. Figs. 3 and 4 are views of detached parts of the wheel, andFig. 5 is a rear view ofthe center of the wheel.

A A represent two posts or standards united at the top by a face-plate,B. Over and between the same revolves the head-block O, giving a directmotion to the plunger with pump or other machinery below. From one sideof the headblock C extends an arm, a, with wind-board E,

Y while the shaft b has its bearings in said headblock and extends onthe opposite side of the same. To this shaft bis attached the hub Gr,from the periphery of which radiates a series of round wooden arms, d d,for the support of the sails D D, one sail upon each arm. Each sail issecured to its arm by a clasp, j', at each end, and the clasp at theinner end ofthe sail is provided with a spiral slot, e, through whichpasses a screw or pin, fi, into said arm, causing the sail to make arotary movement in sliding' out on the arm. In this manner the entireweight of the sail is made use of as a power to be acted `upon by thecentrifugal force when the wheel is in motion. Each sail D is, by a rod,l1., connected with a small wheel, 7c, attached toor forming part of athimble, m, placed on the main shaft b. From the inner side ofthe wheellc two rods, n n, pass through curved slots in the hub G, and springs ss, attached to pins on the inner side of said hub, bear against theserods. rlhese springs s s, when compressed by the sails, having beencarried off on the arms by an undue motion, will reilex and cause saidsa-ils to assume their proper position for light wind. In the thimble mis a spiral slot, c', with pin t" passing through the same into theshaft b, as shown in Fig. 4, and the inner ends of the rods k le areattached to a grooved wheel, I, back of the hub G, said wheel beingoperated by means of a lever, H, and a cord passing to the ground fromthe outer end of said lever. Thus, when desired, the sails may be turnedout of the wind by hand irom the ground by operating the lever H bymeans of the cord, thereby moving the wheels I and k outward on theshaft b. This motion of the wheel k gives to it also a rotary motion bymeans of the pin and spiral slot in the thimble m, and consequentlytinning the sails by the connectingrods h h.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Ihe sails D D, rods h h, wheel K, and thimble m, with spiral slottherein, all combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The thimble m, with slot e and pin i', in combination with the rods nn, wheel I, and lever H, substantially as and for the purposes hereinset forth. 1

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

THOS. S. VAN DEVORT.

Witnesses:

JN0. GILBERT, L. H. BENNETT.

